


Sunflower

by Mattagross



Category: Senki Zesshou Symphogear
Genre: BETA READ WE LIVE LIKE HIBIKI DID AFTER THE ZWEI WING CONCERT, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Kanade Needs A Hug, Kazanari Tsubasa is a Good Girlfriend, NO NOT THAT ONE THE OTHER ONE
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:13:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26721961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mattagross/pseuds/Mattagross
Summary: Kanade visited the hospital every week ever since that day.
Relationships: Amou Kanade & Tachibana Hibiki, Amou Kanade/Kazanari Tsubasa
Comments: 13
Kudos: 27





	Sunflower

**Author's Note:**

> This has been in the work for... maybe a month or so?
> 
> Huge shout-outs to the writing Discord I'm in for being patient with how slowly I write and beta reading, appreciate you folks ;u;
> 
> Gonna throw out a few trigger warnings:  
> \- Minor mention of blood  
> \- Hospitals!

“Heya, kiddo. Yeah, it's me again… wanted to drop by, see how you were holding up. Me? Same old, same old; the old man’s getting on my ass ‘cause I overslept this morning but that’s not anything new. Got a date planned with Tsubasa this weekend, assuming no bastards try anything.”

A pause.

“YOU HEAR THAT UNIVERSE!  _ DON’T TRY ANYTHING! _ ”

A second, longer pause.

“…your friend, Kohinata – Miku, I mean, she keeps insisting we call her Miku – she’s waiting to visit you too. Has a lot of stories about her time at Lydian so far. She’s actually right outside… I’ll get out of your hair; she deserves more time than I do.”

The screeching of a chair breaks the relative silence of the hospital room.

“I’ll see ya next week, Hibiki.”

For the last two years, Kanade made the weekly trip to the hospital. Through thick and thin, only stopped by Mother Nature herself stepping down and making her physically unable to move. Every week, she’d visit and tell the young girl about her day, her girlfriend, her life, and most frequently, about Miku.

It was the only thing she could do to make up for that day.

The Zwei Wing concert was supposed to be that – a concert. A time that people from all over Japan could come together and enjoy their music; a time to forget about the horrors of the world, of the Noise, of  _ everything _ , and simply enjoy being human.

And then…

\---

_ “We’ve got a lot more coming up!” Kanade shouted at the top of her lungs, the audience responding in a chorus of cheers of their own. And as the music began to start— _

_ Screams. _

_ Screams began filling the concert hall as Noise began to pour in from all sides, _

_ Screams as people tripped over themselves, desperately, futilely clawing to get away from the Noise as their bodies turned to dust. _

_ There was no hesitation as Kanade changed into her Gear, LiNKER be damned, and tore into the crowd of Noise. Tsubasa quickly followed suit, and as the two began whittling down the crowd, they paid less and less attention to the surrounding area. _

_ Just the Noise. Only the Noise. _

_ A section of the hall collapsed, and the two fought on. _

_ A muffled scream went unheard, and the two fought on. _

_ Another part of the hall came crumbling down, and the two fought on, uncaring, unyielding in their assault on the Noise. _

_ And when it was finally over – when the last of the Noise were nothing but dust, fading into the wind – did they notice. _

_ There was no pile of ash below the rubble they investigated. _

_ Ash didn’t make a sickening dripping noise as it hit the floor, coalescing into a bigger, darker pool of itself. _

_ Blood, however... _

_ And it was as she broke down, images of her long-deceased family flickering in and out of her sight, that Kanade realized what it was she was supposed to be fighting for. _

\---

Kanade personally flew with Hibiki to the hospital. Ever since, she’d take time out of every week to visit her, even when the doctors told her that it was likely that the girl would never wake up.

It was a comfortable, if heartbreaking pattern, one that would hold true as long as Kanade could physically help it.

But some days stuck out more than others in those two years. 

\---

“ **_He what?!_ ** ”

Anger was not a foreign emotion to Kanade – it was not as prevalent as it was two years ago, but to say that she no longer felt anger was false.

But this?

Anger didn’t scratch the surface of this.

No, what Kanade was feeling right now was nothing but a screaming, boiling, unyielding  _ hatred _ .

She didn’t care how many people were staring at the two of them in the hallway, or the whispers of ‘she knows this is a hospital, right?’, or the fact her grip on the armrests of the chair were threatening to crack the flimsy plastic.

No, right now, her attention was solely on the words that Miku had told her.

Hibiki’s father had walked out on the Tachibana family, taking all of his money with him. It came out of left field, with Miku only knowing secondhand through her own mother, but that was more than enough for Kanade.

Especially when she saw the state that it left Miku in, barely able to tell her what had happened without nearly breaking down into tears.

_ ‘If I ever get a chance to ‘meet’ Hibiki’s father, it's gonna have to be with bulletproof glass between us.’ _

But that was just wishful thinking – a desire for an outlet to her anger, rather than a feasible solution to the current problem.

“K-Kanade-san— w-what’s going to happen to her?” Miku’s words laid bare their biggest fear: what  _ was _ going to happen to Hibiki? Section 2 was doing everything they legally could to help, but that same legality meant they could only do so much… there had to be something she could do to  _ help _ ...

Instead of responding, Kanade took out her cellphone, and called the only person she could think of that could.

“Yo old man, I got a request.”

\---

Sometimes it was easy to forget about everyone else.

Inside that hospital room, with the quiet beeping, and the occasional nurse shuffling about to check Hibiki’s vitals, the outside world just… disappeared. The selves that Kanade knew didn’t have a place within that room. There was no ‘rage against the Noise to avenge my family’ Kanade, no ‘part of the idol duo Zwei Wing’ Kanade.

Only the real Kanade stepped into that room.

Sometimes, she stepped out of it, too.

She always tried to cry as little as possible when she visited, on the off chances that the girl woke up in her presence. She didn’t want Hibiki to wake up to someone she didn’t even know sobbing over her body.

Today was one of the days she failed.

As she left the room, still furiously wiping at her eyes because she was Amou Fucking Kanade, damn it, she couldn’t see the person in front of her until they both had landed on the floor.

“Oof!”   
“Ah!”

For the briefest of moments, before Kanade had even looked up, she wanted to snap at the person who got in her way like that. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d snapped at a doctor, nor would it be the last.

“Get out of my way you— you…” Her anger evaporated as she finally looked up. She was met by the spitting image of Tachibana Hibiki. The woman was in her mid to late 60s, if not a bit older; her hair was identical to the way Hibiki’s had looked the day of the incident, and her features bore a striking similarity.

It was then, and only then, that Kanade realized who it was she was staring at.

She slowly lifted herself off the ground, dusted herself off… and ran. She ran, and let her tears flow freely as she fled from what she had lost so long ago.

In their shock, neither Tachibana elder noticed the slight twitching of Hibiki’s fingers.

\---

Kanade  _ despised _ the month of April with a burning, unyielding fashion – all because of that black mark at its tail end.

It wasn’t early enough in the month for her to be able to pull herself out of the funk for May. No, it  _ had _ to be something that was built up to so that it ruined her for the entirety of two months.

61 days of paralyzing guilt and depression because of one date.

April 29th.

The anniversary of the Zwei Wing incident.

But as much as she (and to a lesser degree, Tsubasa) despised the month, there was a tradition that they’d always hold themselves to. After all, they weren’t the only people hurt during the concert.

A pair of visits that they needed to make.

The first, a memorial site that had been set up near the former concert hall, funded by the families of those who lost to honor their loved ones. This was where Tsubasa visited every week – something about “reminding myself how much stronger I need to be”.

And secondly, of course, Hibiki’s room. The door slid open as usual, and Kanade felt the guilt bubbling beneath the surface, but she had to stay strong.

For Hibiki’s sake.

For  _ her _ sake.

“…Heya squirt.” Kanade sat herself by Hibiki’s bed, gently ruffling the blonde’s hair as she did. Tsubasa followed close behind, pulling a chair to sit beside the redhead.

“I know it’s been a while, but I hope you remember Tsubasa here. She’s— well, a lot happened between her last visit and now.” Kanade’s voice was tight as she took one of Hibiki’s hands, gently running a thumb over it.

“We... we're dating. Tsubasa’s my girlfriend, Hibiki. I know you can’t see it right now, but she’s blushing up a  _ storm! _ I think water would straight up evaporate if we poured it on her face right now!”

Her voice, still tight, began cracking. And then, the smallest sob escaped from Kanade’s lips. Both of her hands were grasping onto Hibiki’s left as Kanade leaned forward into them, teardrops falling onto the bedding.

“…I’m so sorry, Hibiki – I’m so,  _ so  _ sorry. You— you shouldn’t be here. You’re too young to be laying in this damn hospital bed…” The words began tumbling out of her mouth, too fast for her to stop, too raw for her to want to.

“You should see the way Miku talks about you… she calls you ‘her Sun’ and everything.” Kanade pauses, taking a shuddering breath. At some point Tsubasa had closed the distance, wrapping the larger girl in a tight hug.

“…and I didn’t protect you.”

There was a long silence, only punctuated by Kanade’s occasional sob, before Tsubasa spoke.

“…we both failed, Kanade.”

“What—” A hoarse, sob induced cough cut Kanade off, “—what are you talking about? I was closer to her! She— she may never walk again! All because I was too focused on the Noise!”

“I did the same thing! I had ample opportunity to evacuate people but chose not to because of the Noise. I’ve… I’ve never had the Noise attack a place that was populated while I was already there.

“So many people died because of my inaction. As a sentinel, I failed… but you? You’re a role model for me in that sense, Kanade. You never hesitate to do what’s right – you just act.” Tsubasa nestled into the crook of Kanade’s neck.

“You can’t protect everyone, Tsubasa. ‘Sentinel’ bullshit or not, you’re just human.” Kanade leaned her head on Tsubasa, wrapping an arm around the bluenette. Her voice was hoarse, strained from sobbing, but a spark of her fiery personality shined through.

“So are you.”

The two sat in a comfortable silence for the rest of their visit.

\---

“Pardon me, young lady.”

A tired, elderly voice called out to the idol duo as the two began their journey out of Hibiki’s room. A voice that Kanade recognized.

Hibiki’s immediate family, and the owner of the voice, were resting on one of the hospital’s benches; it was clear where they were headed.

It was the kindly old woman that Kanade had barreled down all those months back.

The woman she never properly apologized to.

Gathering all the courage she could muster currently, she turned to the older woman.

“Obaa-san…” Kanade opened her mouth and immediately trailed off. There were so many thoughts running through her head right now –  _ ‘I’m sorry for knocking you down so many months ago and never apologizing’ _ ,  _ ‘I’m sorry for not protecting your granddaughter’, ‘You remind of what she should look like when she’s older’… _

“Oh goodness, just call me Kiyoko, dearie.” And if Kanade’s head wasn’t already in a whirlpool of emotions, those words sent them into overdrive.

“I—” Tears began gathering at the edge of Kanade’s eyes, “—d-do you not remember me? I—”

“—knocked my mother onto the floor of this hospital a few months ago, yes.” The woman to Kiyoko’s left spoke up as Tsubasa’s hand tightened into a vice grip.

“You did  _ what, _ Kanade?” Tsubasa smiled a predatory smile as she looked at Kanade.

“It was an accident, really!” Kanade began waving her free hand rapidly as she tried to calm her girlfriend down.

“I… I was finishing up my weekly visit. It… I was in a bad headspace. And as I was leaving, I quite literally ran into Ob— Kiyoko. And… the sight of her family caused me to freak,” Kanade’s shoulders slumped. “But that’s no excuse for not apologizing.”

Refocusing on the older woman, Kanade bowed as low as she could muster without dragging Tsubasa with her, the tips of her hair brushing up against the hospital floor.

“I’m sorry.”

At first, nothing.

And then, Kiyoko laughed.

“Oh my – dearie, I could tell all of that from your eyes. Hibiki was so similar when she was a child, wearing her heart on her sleeve. I didn’t call you over because of that – although Harumi here,” Kiyoko nudged the woman beside her with her elbow, “tried to insist otherwise. But I say let bygones be bygones.

“No, the reason I called you over here… I wanted to thank you. Amou Kanade, right?” She paused, only continuing after Kanade nodded her affirmation. Tears began to well up in the older woman’s eyes as she spoke.

“Kanade-san – thank you for visiting Hibiki as often as you do. After Akira left, we haven’t been able to visit her as much as we’d like to. When the hospital staff told us about you – we thought it was some sort of practical joke.”

Kiyoko had to stop as she broke down into tears, Harumi wrapping her into a hug as she took her place.

“When you crashed into Okaa-san… I thought it  _ was _ a practical joke because you matched up  _ exactly _ to how the nurses described the visitor. And then… and then you ran. But – but you’re here,  _ today. _ And as angry as I am about what happened, I cannot thank you enough for being here for us.”

For the second time that day, Tsubasa held her girlfriend as she collapsed into a sobbing mess.

\---

The question came from left field.

“Kiyoko-san… do you think she’ll ever wake up?” Miku’s tired voice broke what had been a comfortable silence. The pair were waiting outside of Hibiki’s hospital room having finished their visit. They could hear the muffled sounds of Kanade and Tsubasa talking to each other, to Hibiki, and the occasional medical device’s high-pitched beep.

At some point, Miku had begun resting her head on Kiyoko’s shoulder, much like a child with their grandparent. In a way, Kiyoko already was – she saw the way that Miku looked at Hibiki when they were growing up.

It was really a matter of “when”, not “if.”

And that “when” was the kicker, wasn’t it?

“…as much as I want to say yes, dear, I simply don’t know.” Came the equally tired response from the elder Tachibana. It was a question that Kiyoko had posed to herself dozens of times over the past two years.

She believed in her little Sunflower; she knew that Hibiki was more than able to get up. Every day that passed made that harder and harder to believe. Taking a deep breath, and wiping a stray tear from her eye, Kiyoko continued.

“But I never stopped believing that she will, dear.”

As Miku buried herself further into Kiyoko’s shoulder, sobbing and whimpering her agreeance, Kiyoko thought about the world inside that hospital room.

A world that Amou Kanade visited every week she could, only stopped by mother nature herself stepping down and stopping her.

A world where she would talk to Hibiki like she was her own flesh and blood.

A world where people believed that she would wake up someday.

As Kiyoko closed her eyes, feeling herself drifting off into a brief nap, she smiled.

“Our Sunflower will bloom once again. I’m sure.”

**Author's Note:**

> So this was an idea I jumped on while having a bit of writer's block for Therapy, which I have no excuse not to throw myself at now, but it did the job. I'm feeling creatively energized after this.
> 
> Once again thank you writer's discord you have NO IDEA how much I needed A. beta readers and B. a swift kick in the ass
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
